A contest for compacts / point-&-shoots only

kejago

I am in awe of the pictures that get submitted for the contests here. They are increadible. :bow I use a point-&-shoot camera, and the lense quality, and lense angle just cannot compete with a DSLR, or be in the same league as the "big boys".

I am just a beginner, but would love to try a competition, or a themed shoot just for compacts. What do you guys think? Can a mini-competition like this be organized? Will it level the playing field a bit, if it was restricted to the little cameras?

What say the folks?

DoctorIt

It's an idea that has been brought up before. At the moment, we're in the heat of LPS so time and manpower are at a minimun.

We always said that in the future we'd like to have smaller side competitions and we do discuss it from time to time. So don't worry, your ideas do not fall on deaf ears. Just sometimes those ears are a bit overworked.

I will say this, not all the photos in the LPS gallery were shot with top of the line DSLR's... many of the point and shoots these days have every bit as good optics and sensors. It's a cliche, but it really is "how you use it".

Tango

givin your location, you can pull off some dramatic shots with a P&S ( you have a G9, WOW !!!!)
use a tripod, use your hidden menus, and get to it.
i would love to shoot the alps even with a disposable (ok maybe not:D )
but still, your location....is awesome

Nikolai

AaronNelson wrote:

givin your location, you can pull off some dramatic shots with a P&S ( you have a G9, WOW !!!!)
use a tripod, use your hidden menus, and get to it.
i would love to shoot the alps even with a disposable (ok maybe not:D )
but still, your location....is awesome

I agree with Aaron.
With a G9 and your location you can get absolutely stunning stuff - just get off the green mode and shoot raw...

gus

From memory ...all of this album belonging to Purified ..was taken with a little canon pocket camera, A60 i think.

achambers

You can take great pictures with a point and shoot! You can take pretty good pictures too. The linked gallery is with an Olympus C765 p&s.

jziegler

I've been entering recently, and I don't have a DSLR. You just need to really learn your camera and to know its limitations. When the next years competition starts, give it a try.

ABCaptures

please excuse

gus

ABCaptures wrote:

please excuse

Ashley now owns a DSLR (i mean its a natural progression with that level of talent) ...at the time (the photos i linked to) ashley told us she used a canon p&s & her exif on those shots from memory showed that.

People often start out with small cameras & move up. Your excused.

ChatKat

Not all
While I have a dSLR, I also have a Canon S80 and I can tell you that I have taken some amazing shots with it. Some are even in my web portfolio.

That said, on one vacation, when I was new to digital, (transitioning from Film)the battery got left behind and I had a useless camera. We were in Nova Scotia and it was a one day stop. When I got out to Peggy's Cove - a very scenic spot, I bought a disposable camera. Some of those images were the nicest of that trip.

I can tell you from that experience, I have learned that while good gear is helpful, the most important piece of equipment is the photographer's eye. (Of course, that might not work if I was shooting specific subjects requiring certain focal lengths...)

gus wrote:

Ashley now owns a DSLR (i mean its a natural progression with that level of talent) ...at the time ashley told us she used a canon p&s & her exif on those shots from memory showed that.

People often start out with small cameras & move up.

swintonphoto

Just to echo some of the comments, when I was working on my photography degree at Utah State University, my professor did all her work with a G5. She preferred the point and shoot to the SLR all the time. She has tons of famous images in museums and art galleries around the country. So, again, I think its not the gear that makes the pic, its knowing how to use what you have plus creativity, talent, etc.
But, I think it could be a good idea to have a point and shoot competition. I think people here often feel they need to upgrade to a DSLR and I don't think that is necessary for a lot of people. DSRL's don't fit everyone.

jziegler

Well, I already posted about this, but I have some additional thought that I'd like to share this morning.

It really isn't the camera for most shots. There are some that it makes a difference (and I seem to be trying for a lot of them recently). Entering the contest really makes you think and try your hardest. The competition is tough, but not because most entrants have high end cameras (In fact, if you look through all the EXIF data posted, many use a Canon Rebel series DSLR, a great camera, but still an entry level DSLR. Or something similar from another manufacturer). It's tough because a lot a really good photographers are entering. I really wish I had started at the beginning, maybe then I could have grown into the contest better. Starting towards the end, I did feel out of my league, but I kept on trying. And I will continue to try when the next one starts.

My idea would be that instead of something for P&S cameras only, what about a contest or category of the contest that is for amateur photographers only? Competition would still be tough, but perhaps it would be a bit easier for those of us who work full time in an office, and only have limited time, frequently when good light isn't available, to do our shooting. And people who might not be as skilled with Photoshop. I would leave it to the judges/moderators/artists in residence to come up with the details on how this could work, but that's my idea on how the contest could be better for some of us amaterus out here.

kejago

Good points James.

Well, I hope I do not embarrass myself too badly when the next competition starts. But it really is scary to try and get the courage to post a picture when you know so many of the poeple submitting entries do this for a living, and they are really very very good.

At the end of the day, it is about trying your best, and learning as you go along, isn't it?

MrsCue

kejago wrote:

Good points James.

Well, I hope I do not embarrass myself too badly when the next competition starts. But it really is scary to try and get the courage to post a picture when you know so many of the poeple submitting entries do this for a living, and they are really very very good.

At the end of the day, it is about trying your best, and learning as you go along, isn't it?

Yes it is about learning as you go. Some people have done courses but I have learned through constructive critique and to have just kept trying. It seems I am gradually climbing my way up to the leader board.

I don't do this for a living. You'll get to know that almost all my pictures are of my own kids, other members of my family and my friends

darkdragon

I love your idea about a P&S only contest. Even for those of us with DSLR cameras, it would be a fun challenge. That would definately open it up for a lot more people who might not feel worthy otherwise (even though a lot of them probably are). Along the same line, a cell phone challenge would be fun too. Talk about moving the talent from the camera to the photographer - cell phone cameras are tough to use and get interesting results from.

seastack

I really like this idea ... a contest for point and shoots only. I still miss my G3 with RAW and the pop-out-and-twist screen.

I've been looking at the new shockproof/waterproof digital p&s's. Guy at the store the other day demonstrated one of them by drop-kicking the camera across the store ... worked fine and he'd been doing this for a while ... which reminds me not to buy the display model of any of these, lol ...

One of the world's greatest photojournalists, Alex Majoli, uses point and shoots these days, Olympus I think. Sometimes he'll have five or six stuffed in his pockets as he's in the middle of a war (including invasion of Iraq)... and two around his neck, one with a shorter strap than the other, so he can continuously shoot switching between the two to overcome the three shot buffer limit. You can see his work here. (Some of these shots were likely his earlier work with film, a Leica)

LiquidAir

I picked up a G9 for my wife late last year. It's a nice camera, but I still reach for my 5D most of the time because that's the body I am most comfortable with. A P&S contest might motivate me to put in the time to become familiar with it.

That said, changing cameras likely won't have a big effect on the images I submit because when the target resolution is only 800px L glass and those wonderful big 5D photosites don't really make much difference. 20 out of the 24 photos I have submitted for LPS could have just as easily been shot with the G9.

Tango

LiquidAir wrote:

I picked up a G9 for my wife late last year. It's a nice camera, but I still reach for my 5D most of the time because that's the body I am most comfortable with. A P&S contest might motivate me to put in the time to become familiar with it.

That said, changing cameras likely won't have a big effect on the images I submit because when the target resolution is only 800px L glass and those wonderful big 5D photosites don't really make much difference. 20 out of the 24 photos I have submitted for LPS could have just as easily been shot with the G9.

maybe we should make you do the contest with one arm tied behind your back! that might make it a little more even:D

eoren1

jziegler wrote:

It really isn't the camera for most shots. There are some that it makes a difference (and I seem to be trying for a lot of them recently). Entering the contest really makes you think and try your hardest. The competition is tough, but not because most entrants have high end cameras (In fact, if you look through all the EXIF data posted, many use a Canon Rebel series DSLR, a great camera, but still an entry level DSLR. Or something similar from another manufacturer). It's tough because a lot a really good photographers are entering. I really wish I had started at the beginning, maybe then I could have grown into the contest better. Starting towards the end, I did feel out of my league, but I kept on trying. And I will continue to try when the next one starts.

My idea would be that instead of something for P&S cameras only, what about a contest or category of the contest that is for amateur photographers only? Competition would still be tough, but perhaps it would be a bit easier for those of us who work full time in an office, and only have limited time, frequently when good light isn't available, to do our shooting. And people who might not be as skilled with Photoshop. I would leave it to the judges/moderators/artists in residence to come up with the details on how this could work, but that's my idea on how the contest could be better for some of us amaterus out here.

I completely agree about it not being the camera and that setting up a P&S contest would unlikely be the best move.

As far as an 'amateur' side-contest, I tend to disagree. I consider myself an amateur. I do have a dSLR (the Canon Rebel XT you mentioned above) that I bought three years ago before my son was born. I take photos that impress my family and friends but, when I started in the first round of the LPS, I was blown away by the competition. Through these past twenty rounds, my photography has grown by leaps and bounds and I am now getting ready to enter my second semifinals! I firmly believe that this was made possible specifically because I was competing against incredibly talented photographers. Will I make the top 10 this round? Probably not. Am I a better photographer for having entered in almost every LPS round and lost in all but two of them? Absolutely. I would hate to see us divide up the talent here into a 'beginners' competition and a 'pro' one. While the learning curve is steep and the losses in the LPS quite painful, it is a PHENOMENAL and singular experience.

E

LiquidAir

AaronNelson wrote:

maybe we should make you do the contest with one arm tied behind your back! that might make it a little more even:D

Heh... actually if you really want to cramp my style, try "no tripod" or "no strobes." All of my top 10 entries used one or the other and many used both. A hand held, ambient light only competition would be a decidedly different beast from the current LPS; much more different, I think, than a P&S competition would be.

jziegler

eoren1 wrote:

I completely agree about it not being the camera and that setting up a P&S contest would unlikely be the best move.

As far as an 'amateur' side-contest, I tend to disagree. I consider myself an amateur. I do have a dSLR (the Canon Rebel XT you mentioned above) that I bought three years ago before my son was born. I take photos that impress my family and friends but, when I started in the first round of the LPS, I was blown away by the competition. Through these past twenty rounds, my photography has grown by leaps and bounds and I am now getting ready to enter my second semifinals! I firmly believe that this was made possible specifically because I was competing against incredibly talented photographers. Will I make the top 10 this round? Probably not. Am I a better photographer for having entered in almost every LPS round and lost in all but two of them? Absolutely. I would hate to see us divide up the talent here into a 'beginners' competition and a 'pro' one. While the learning curve is steep and the losses in the LPS quite painful, it is a PHENOMENAL and singular experience.

E

Eoren,

That's great input, I hadn't thought of it that way before. Since I came into the contest late, I haven't gotten as much feedback to help me do better. But that really changed this last round. If we keep getting feedback like that in the unofficial feedback thread from round 20, we will all learn a great deal. I won't say taht my idea for having an amateur category is a bad idea, but I now have to think a little more about it. I still see merits to it, but I also see your point about the advantages of the current system.

Tango

LiquidAir wrote:

Heh... actually if you really want to cramp my style, try "no tripod" or "no strobes." All of my top 10 entries used one or the other and many used both. A hand held, ambient light only competition would be a decidedly different beast from the current LPS; much more different, I think, than a P&S competition would be.

what i would like to see is a no post process of any kind contest (out of the camera only)
life without photoshop:wow

kejago

AaronNelson wrote:

what i would like to see is a no post process of any kind contest (out of the camera only)
life without photoshop:wow

Now that is a good idea!

Llywellyn

AaronNelson wrote:

what i would like to see is a no post process of any kind contest (out of the camera only)
life without photoshop:wow

Nooooo!! *clings to Photoshop*

I actually find this idea rather intriguing...

kwalsh

AaronNelson wrote:

what i would like to see is a no post process of any kind contest (out of the camera only)
life without photoshop:wow

Actually, that might be worse for the P&S crowd. In most of the DSLRs you can control contrast, sharpness, tone, style, a whole bunch of stuff in camera that the many P&S can't.

If you're thinking more, no composites and what not that'd be a different story. But photoshop for adjusting curves and sharpness and even dodge and burn is just mirroring pretty standard darkroom techniques. I don't think removing that would help things out.

Either way, though, could be fun!

Ken

kwalsh

LiquidAir wrote:

Heh... actually if you really want to cramp my style, try "no tripod" or "no strobes." All of my top 10 entries used one or the other and many used both. A hand held, ambient light only competition would be a decidedly different beast from the current LPS; much more different, I think, than a P&S competition would be.

I agree, rather than setting camera or PP limitations a theme on hand-held ambient light might be really entertaining.

Ken

Tango

kwalsh wrote:

I agree, rather than setting camera or PP limitations a theme on hand-held ambient light might be really entertaining.

Ken

when it comes down to it. i think the point was made that there is no resources.

maybe a "P&S in class" type of thing like Nikoli does with the "weekly assignments" thing...

anyway, the no photoshop thing would be different, but what do i know?

anyway, going back to the original issue. i think P&S is still do-able for the contest.

Tango

Llywellyn wrote:

Nooooo!! *clings to Photoshop*

I actually find this idea rather intriguing...

sure love your new avatar!

and for myself, i too cling to photoshop:D

adrian_k

I'm with that. I'd actually suggest 'full auto', onboard flash only & no PP. And I believe if they're the rules, that the people here are honest enough to stick that too. Having said that, I almost always crop & set the white/black points - but that's not post processing is it?

AaronNelson wrote:

what i would like to see is a no post process of any kind contest (out of the camera only)
life without photoshop:wow

mwgrice

Speaking of camera limitations, here's an idea I really liked: a contest where your finished product is one roll of film. The idea was, you'd send in an idea for a project or a theme and if yours was selected they'd send you a roll of film. You'd shoot your roll, mail it back to them and they'd develop it.

The digital equivalent in a contest wouldn't be possible without rampant cheating, though.

J-N Design

Point and Shoots win all the time here
P&S can be just as good at contests as DSLRs. I used to compete in the FujiMugs Challenges back when I had free time. Most of the people who won were/are using the advanced point and shoots. I used my S7000 to take this http://www.fujimugs.com/challenge/entry.php?entry=4457 for first place. My prize? Choosing the next topic.